Folding device for sad-irons.



No. 773,033; v PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904. I W. STRAUSS;

FOLDING DEVICE FOR SAD IRONS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov; 7, 1903.

NO MODEL.

/NVENTOI? WITNESSES:

' r W .1 I fiflzz'cwizfirazww' @JL By f 1 2 wv 9 71d 5 A7TOHNEYS UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT. OFFICE.

WI-LLI AMSTRAU' SS, OF NEW-YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING DEVICE FOR AD-IRONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,083, dated December 20, 1904.

Application filed November 7, 1903. Serial No. 180,208.

To all whom it annoy concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STRAUss, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Devices for Sad-Irons," of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to means by which a strip or length of fabric may be folded or doubled upon itself and fed directly thereafter'to and below the nose of a flat-iron, thus making provision for expeditiously folding and flattening a strip of fabric so as toplace it in the nose of said iron.

Another part of the invention resides in a novel form of folder which is designed to perate on fabrics of different widths and to produce folded strips of fabric which vary in width.

Further objects and advantagesof the invention will appear in the course'of the subjoined description, and the actual scope thereof will be defined by the annexed claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of sadiron with. my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation taken in the plane of the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the position and course of the work being indicated by full lines. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections'on the lines 3 3 and 44, respectively, of Fig. 5; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspectiveview of the folding device proper removed from the flat-iron.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have shown it applied to an ordinary form of sad-iron, which is indicated at A, the same being provided with any appropriate form of handle a; but it is to be understood that my invention is not restricted to the style of sad-iron shown by the drawings, nor,in fact,

on the upper side of this plate are arranged the members 6 7, the latter being shown as ranging lengthwise of the plate and occupying converging positions thereon.

One folding member, 6, isap plied in a fixed or permanently stationary position on the plate 5, whereas the other member, 7, is mounted adjustably on said plate, so as to be shiftable to variable positions with relation to the stationary member 6, whereby the folding device is adapted for use in connection with fabrics of different widths. Each folding. member 6 7 is made of a length of sheet metal, which is doubled or folded upon itself, as at 6, (see Fig. 1,) so as to produce a longitudinal channel or guideway c, which opens by a throat d through the inner edge of'the member, and this member is, furthermore, twisted for a quarterturn at a point intermediate of its length, as indicated at e in Figs. 1 and 5. By this twisting of the member its side at the rear portion is further turned or folded inward until the rear portion of the member assumes in crosssection the shape shown in Fig. 3, so as to complete the folding of the edge portion of the fabric as the latter passes through the members 6 7. As shown in Fig. 3, the rear portion of each member of the folder is folded twice upon itself, the free edge of the member forming the flat central inner part f. This part f does not extend to the exit or inner end of the member, but terminates near said end, as shown in the drawings. The member located near the respective ends of said plate and to one side of the stationary member 6.

The other folding member, 7, is provided with.

laterally-extending wings 9, which lap over the slotted parts of said plate 5 and provide for the passage of suitable thumb-screws 10, which pass through the wings and through the slots 8 in said plate, so as to receive the binding-nuts 11, the latter being located on the under side of the plate 5, as shown by Figs. 2 and 4. These thumb-screws serve to clamp the end portions of the folding member 7 individually to the slotted plate, and either thumb-screw may be released, so as to allow one end or the other to be moved toward or from the companion folding member 6, although, if desired, both of the thumb-screws may be released so as to shift the folding member 7 toward and from the companion member 6. The degree of adjustment of the member7 is indicated on the plate 5 by the provision of suitable graduations 12, the same being adjacent to the end portions of the member 7, so as to be traversed thereby.

An important feature of this invention is the employment of means for holding the folder in an inclined position directly in front of the fiat-iron A, and in the drawings I have shown a support, which consists of two members adapted to be fastened to the iron and constructed to removably support the folderadjacent to the nose of the iron. This support consists of members 13 14, which are provided at their rear ends with lugs 15, which rest upon the iron and are secured thereto by screws 16 or other fasteners. The members 13 14 extend forwardly from the iron and are carried below the upper face thereof. The members are provided at their front ends with guideways 17, which extend longitudinally of said members and are formed by doubled flanges, which produce grooves that open through the opposing sides of said members 13 14. The grooves are inclined to the under face of the flat-iron A, as indicated by Fig. 2, and the members 13 14 are attached to the iron, so as to have an inclined relation one to the other, the angle of the members corresponding to the taper of the plate 5, forming a part of the folder. It is evident, however, that the plate may be made oblong and the members 13 14 be arranged parallel to each other; but I prefer the tapering form of the plate and the converging position of the members 13 14, because the plate of the folding device can be wedged into the guideways 17 of the supporting members.

From this description it will be understood that the members of the supporting device can be easily and readily fastened to the front portion of a flat-iron. The folding device is adapted to have its plate 5 thrust into the guideways 17 of the supporting members 13 14, so as to be connected removably to the fiat-iron, and this folder occupies the upwardly and forwardly inclined position with relation to the iron A. (Shown by Fig. 2.) The delivery end of the folder is immediately in front of the nose of the flat-iron, whereas the receiving end of the folder is elevated a considerable distance above the active surface of the iron and located at a point well to the front of said iron, thus allowing the fabric to be easily introduced into the members of the folder. After the device shall have been applied to the flat-iron in the manner described and the iron shall have been heated in the ordinary way the fabric can be introduced into the members 6 7 of the folder. The length of fabric is fitted in the open front ends of the doubled members 6 7, and it is moved or advaneed'through the channels 0 of said mcmbers, the latter serving to fold or double the fabric upon itself and to the required condition before it emerges from the lower ends of the members forming a part of the folder. The fabric in a folded condition can be drawn directly beneath the heel of the iron, and in the practical service of the article the fabric is folded and ironed practically at one operation.

It is of course evident that the member 7 can be adjusted laterally with respect to the member 6 on the slotted plate 5 of the folder, and the latter can thus be used to good advantage on fabrics of different widths.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters latent 1. The combination with a fiat-iron, of a support having a guideway, and a folder litted removably in said guideway and held by said support adjacent to the nose of said iron.

2. A folding device, consisting of a plate, a folding member thereon, and a companion folding member fastened adjustably to said plate and shiftable laterally with respect to the first-named folding member, each folding member being doubled upon itself and also twisted at a point intermediate of its length to produce a spiral channel which opens through one edge of the member.

3. The combination with a fiat-iron, of a support attached thereto and provided with inclined guideways converging toward each other, and afolder provided with portions converging toward each other and fitted removably in said inclined guideways.

4. The combination with a flat-iron, of a one end of the flat-iron.

folder having tWisted members arranged to double the edges of a length of fabric upon itself, and means for detachably supporting said folder in an inclined position directly at 5. The combination of a flat-iron, of a sup v port attached thereto, and a folder having twisted members converging toward each other and held by said support in an inclined 10 position, the, delivery end of said twisted WILLIAM STRAUSS.

Witnesses:

J NO. M. RrrrER, H. F. BERNHARD. 

